Sisko sees himself as a science fiction writer in 1950s America.
Shaken by a friend's death in the war, Sisko has a vision in which he is Benny Russell, a black science fiction writer in 1953 New York. His colleagues at Incredible Tales magazine, played by the regular cast, include a woman forced to write under a neutral name, and the editor keeps both of them out of the staff photograph. Inspired by a sketch of a space station, Benny writes Deep Space Nine, about a black captain, and the editor refuses to print it until it is reframed as a dream.
Police officers resembling Dukat and Weyoun shoot the young Jimmy and beat Benny. Weeks later the publisher pulps the entire issue rather than print the story, Benny is fired, and he breaks down. A street preacher calls him both the dreamer and the dream. Sisko wakes wondering if Benny is out there somewhere. Directed by Avery Brooks, the episode is widely praised for its treatment of racism.